ATTEND AN ALA MEMBERSHIP MEETING AT CONFERENCE

Membership Forums and Meetings are one important way that you can affect what ALA does. You can express your views at the Forum and at the meeting you can vote on resolutions to send to Council.

Saturday, June 23, 3:30-5:00 pm
Should ALA Take a Stand on the War in Iraq and Other “Non-Library” Issues?
ALA Membership Forum and Meeting I, Convention Center, Ballroom A

What is a “non-library” issue anyway? Should ALA take a stand on the war in Iraq, the minimum wage, or equal rights for women? On one hand, some people say we don't have enough time to consider fully issues like the closing of libraries and library staff wages. On the other hand, ALA has taken a stand on “non-library” issues like civil rights for decades, and these issues affect us and our families and co-workers. Where do we draw the line?
Forum Speakers: "pro" - Michael Gorman, Immediate Past President; "con" - Steve Matthews, Councilor

Monday, June 25, 11:30am-1pm
Is ALA Heading in the Right Direction?
ALA Membership Forum and Meeting II, Convention Center, Ballroom A

Have you had problems getting what you need from ALA? Talk to President Leslie Burger, President-Elect Loriene Roy, Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels, and other ALA leaders and staffers. Talk to our ALA leaders!

ALA Membership Meetings and How They Work

What is an ALA Membership Meeting?
ALA Membership Meetings are an opportunity for ALA members to make things happen in the American Library Association. ALA members can bring issues important to libraries and librarianship to the floor and decide how they might be addressed within ALA.

When are ALA Membership Meetings held?
A Membership Meeting is held during the first two days of the Annual Conference and at other times that may be set by the ALA Executive Board, ALA Council, or by membership petition as provided for in ALA Bylaw Article II, Section 2.

Who may attend ALA Membership Meetings?
All ALA personal members.

How is the agenda for the meetings set?
The Committee on Membership Meetings is charged with planning the agenda for the membership meetings as specified in ALA Policy 7.4.10.

Over the past few years, the Committee on Membership Meetings has developed suggested agendas, which include some “hot” discussion topics to draw ALA members to the meetings.

The ALA members present at the meeting can change the proposed agendas at any time. Any discussion topics suggested by the committee, or others, are given second place to resolutions proposed by the ALA members.

Who makes membership resolutions?
YOU--ALA personal members.

The resolution can be on any topic or issue that falls within the resolution guidelines (see reverse side of this page). It is important to remember that the Council Resolutions Committee must review all membership resolutions. Resolutions can be easily submitted well in advance of the ALA Annual Conference by sending them by Monika J. Antonelli, chair, mantonel@library.unt.edu. The Council Committee on Resolutions will staff a table (#15) in the ALA Office Area at the Washington Convention Center: Sat., 6/23, 11am-1:00pm; Sun, 6/24, 1-3pm; Mon., 6/25, 2-4pm; and Tues, 6/26, 2-3pm.

All resolutions approved by the membership are presented at the next ALA Council meeting. “The presiding officer of Council calls for Council’s guidance on the disposition of each membership item in turn.” (ALA Policy 7.4.10)

A final thought

This meeting is YOUR meeting. Members control the content of all membership meetings. Any member may speak on any topic by standing at a microphone. When the microphone number is called, you state your name, then say “ALA Personal Member” and speak to the topic on the floor. There is a bit of formality about this process, but it doesn’t take more than a few minutes of observation to understand how things work.